Now that the 2024 NBA postseason has begun, the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will be providing daily picks for the duration of the postseason. Sam Quinn will make at least one pick for every game between now and the NBA Finals.
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers
I'm just playing the numbers game here. Deuce McBride scored 15.2 points per 36 minutes this season. He played 27 minutes in Game 4 following the injury suffered by Bojan Bogdanovic, so drop that number by a quarter to get to a projection of 11.4. Yes, it's a playoff game, but McBride has scored at least eight points in all four games in this series, and Philadelphia is exerting the entirety of its perimeter defense trying to slow down Jalen Brunson. There are points to be scored here, and McBride can be the one to score them. The Pick: McBride Over 8.5 Points
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic
I can give you cogent basketball explanations for this pick if you really want them. We could sit here and talk about Donovan Mitchell regressing to something resembling his post-All-Star form after a hot Game 1 or the Magic finding the same holes in Cleveland's rebounding apparatus that the Knicks so famously exploited last season. But really, there's a simpler explanation for this pick. The vibes are miserable. Everybody's role is clunky and uncertain two years into this roster experiment. There's a widespread assumption that Mitchell is out after the year, and a coaching change feels inevitable as well. The Magic were vulnerable in the early games as a first-time playoff team looking for its footing. The Magic are here and engaged now. The Cavaliers certainly don't feel like they are. The Pick: Magic +4.5
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers
This line places too much emphasis on who the Bucks are missing and not enough emphasis on who the Pacers actively try to be. Milwaukee was missing Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 4 and the total still reached 239 points. The Pacers are the NBA's second-fastest team. Their average game this season featured 245.5 points. I don't care that it's the playoffs and I don't care that stars are missing. I'm not sacrificing 31 points off of that figure for this line. The Pick: Over 214.5
